Businesses in Every Part of the City Have Qualified for Grants of Up To $15,000
The City of Milwaukee’s Restart grants, which provide financial support for local small businesses impacted by COVID-19, are now being distributed. A total of about $4-million is expected to go to more than 400 businesses in the City of Milwaukee. The grant distribution should be complete within the next two weeks.
“Small Businesses play a vital role in creating jobs, in driving our economy, and in maintaining the character of neighborhoods all across Milwaukee,” Mayor Barrett said. “I want our local businesses to have a fighting chance to get back to profitability as we adapt to new public health requirements and expectations.”
Qualified businesses are receiving up to $15,000 for physical adaptations to their facilities, the purchase of personal protective equipment, and restocking perishable inventory. To be eligible, these established Milwaukee businesses must have 20 or fewer employees and annualized gross revenue under $2-million.
More than 40% of the Restart grant applicants identified themselves as minority-owned businesses. More than 40% said they are women-owned.
The Department of City Development (DCD) is working with MEDC, a community development financial institution, to distribute the grants.
Businesses in every part of the city have been notified that they will receive Restart grants. The businesses that qualified represent a wide range of economic activity. There are bakeries, restaurants, and laundromats; professional services, hair and nail salons, and coffee shops; breweries, pet spas and event spaces; a drivers ed business, a funeral home, and a bookstore; ice cream parlors, fitness studios, even a peddle tavern and a cheese head manufacturer.
The Milwaukee Restart grant program was funded with federal CARES Act money. Additional resources may be available in the coming months for other programs supporting businesses as they recover from COVID-19 impacts. DCD, in consultation with the Mayor, is reviewing those options.
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